Decoding Embry
by SheIsTheLovelyWinterGirl
Summary: Embry swears he will protect his imprint, no matter the cost. That means keeping everything a secret from her. But Hannah knows something strange is going on, and she won't rest until she decodes Embry. Songfic of Paramore's Decode. EmbryxOC. I really suck at summaries so please give it a go!


**Decoding Embry**

Hannah stood facing Embry. Her clenched fists were shaking in anger. They stood at about ten feet apart. For unexplainable reasons, even that short distance squeezed at her chest. She wanted to close the gap between them, but pride would not let her.

_How can I decide what's right?_

_When you're clouding up my mind._

_I can't win your losing fight._

_All the time._

"I don't know what the right thing to do right now is," Hannah said to him, raising her voice in aggravation. They stood a few feet away from Embry's house. She was glad his mother wasn't home; she didn't need to see this. "I can't stop thinking about you and whatever your problem is. There's something to figure out about you. And I will do it, Embry. So help me, I will." Hannah hated this. She hated fighting and yelling, but worst of all, she hated fighting with Embry, though this was their first fight. "It's like you cloud up my mind. Trying to think about anything or anybody else but you is like trying to see through murky water."

Embry tensed. He never wanted this to come so far. He longed to be with Hannah, his imprint. He wanted nothing more than to run over and finally put his lips to hers, something he forbade himself to do. He wanted her to know everything about the pack and of the imprint and of him and his life. He wanted more than anything to fall asleep with her in his arms and to protect her and make her happy and to make her smile. After all, it was his sole purpose. But as her protector, how could he willingly bring her into all of his mess? He knew what had happened to Emily. He had seen her scars so many times. When no one else was looking he would study her once flawless face. The pain she must have felt, physical, mental, and emotional, when Sam, her protector and the love of her life damaged her forever. What if Embry one day lost control around his beloved Hannah? He would never be able to forgive himself. So against all his instincts he kept his mouth shut. He pretended he wanted nothing more than to be close friends with Hannah. Something he failed miserably at. He got jealous when she talked to other boys, and he became smothering and over-protective when she got hurt. Hannah had never seemed to mind, though.

"There's nothing to figure out, Hannah." Embry stated. He stared at his life standing across from him. Her incredibly pale skin appearing even whiter in the cold air. Her heavy breathing sending out puffs of steam from her soft pink lips. Her greenish-hazel eyes were full of anger and sadness, trust and betrayal, love and hate. He absolutely hated seeing her in turmoil.

_Nor can I ever own what's mine_

_When you're always taking sides._

_But you won't take away my pride_

_No, not this time_

_Not this time._

"You're lying to me," Hannah stated, her voice even yet full of frustration. "I know there's something going on, Embry. There's something going on with you and your friends. I've brought it up before and you do nothing but shoot me down when I do. Well, you're not taking my pride away from me this time. Enough is enough, Embry. If this was just some petty secret, I would have dropped the subject weeks ago; it's not, though. I can tell."

"Just go home, Hannah! I'm doing this to protect you!" As soon as the words tumbled through his lips, he regretted them. Resting his hands on the top of his head, Embry turned away from Hannah. He could feel the wolf in him come alive. The trembles in his body became stronger with each passing moment. He spotted his dirt bike sitting right next to him, and he kicked it. Hard. Maybe a little too hard. The bike went crashing into a tree nearly twenty feet away.

Hannah jumped when the bike snapped in half and crumbled to the ground. She stared at Embry as he turned back around to face her; his chest moving rapidly with his heavy breathing. The anger in his eyes was so intense Hannah basically shrunk. It was inhuman. It belonged to that of a wild animal.

Rain had started to fall from the sky. The wind picked up, causing the trees in the surrounding forest to rustle. Embry stared at her for a while longer before he realized what he had done. And immediately his demeanor softened. The anger in his wolfish eyes turned to sorrow and concern. His shoulders slouched, no longer carrying the burden of his anger.

"Hannah… I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," he said urgently yet softly, as if he didn't want to frighten her further. In two long and quick strides he crossed over to Hannah, slowly and tenderly grabbing her hand. It was ice cold. "I didn't realize you were so cold…" he muttered. How could he let this happen?

_How did we get here?_

_When I used to know you so well?_

_How did we get here?_

_Well, I think I know._

"Embry, you're my best friend," Hannah spoke softly. "I used to know you so well. How did we get here, Embry? You've never lied to me about anything, unless it was about what you are. Look at us, Embry. If I was a normal person, I would just walk away if I thought my best friend was keeping a secret from me. I would move on and find new friends. But I can't do that. I need you and I know you need me, too, although I'm not sure why. Embry… how did we get here?"

_The truth is hiding in your eyes._

_And it's hanging off your tongue._

_Just boiling in my blood,_

_But you think that I can't see,_

_What kind of man that you are_

_If you're a man at all._

_Well I will figure this one out,_

_On my own_

Embry took a breath, hardness, but not anger, filling his eyes. He stared at Hannah, his eyes wandering over her face, memorizing it, as he had done so many times before. There were so many combinations of words he could say. He could tell the truth. He could lie. He could make her leave, but that would just hurt them both. He could ask her to stay. Out of the millions of things to say to Hannah, he very loudly and without a doubt in his heart, he said, "I love you."

"I love you," Hannah replied. Her openness shocked her, but hearing Embry say it, and saying it back to him, felt like such a natural thing. Hannah had known she loved Embry from the first moment she saw him.

"I'm just protecting you, Hannah," Embry said, sorrow once more in his eyes. "Please let me take you home. It's almost dark. We can talk in the morning and pretend this whole fight never happened." He took a few steps closer to her, still grasping her hand with his right now, he slid his left arm around her waist and pulled her even nearer. He closed his eyes and tried to fight the urge to cry. For so long he ached and pained because he wouldn't let himself hold Hannah that way. He had finally given into the imprint, and he finally felt at whole.

"Embry," said Hannah, "I don't know why or how, and I can't explain it, but you are a part of me. And you, and whatever you are, is just boiling in my blood. I need to be with you and I need to be told the truth."

_(I'm screaming 'I love you so')_

_On my own._

_(But my thoughts you can't decod)_

_How did we get here?_

_When I used to know you so well?_

_How did we get here?_

_Well, I think I know_

_Do you see what we've done?_

_We've gone and made such fools of ourselves._

_Do you see what we've done?_

_We've gone and made such fools, of ourselves._

Embry's eyes bore into Hannah's. Piercing dark brown met soft green. His mouth was only barely an inch away, yet he didn't kiss her. It wasn't the right time. He was just enjoying the closeness, and the new knowledge that Hannah had just given him.

"You love me," Embry murmured, more to himself then to Hannah. She loved him. She always had. Even though he had imprinted, and he knew that eventually they would be together, hearing her say the words, and knowing she meant them with everything in her was a joy no one could ever understand.

_How did we get here?_

_When I used to know you so well?_

_How did we get here?_

_Well, I think I know_

As Hannah stared back into Embry's eyes, she suddenly remembered. She remembered sitting at the bonfire with Embry, surrounded by his friends. The stories Billy Black had told and excited her and made her feel alive. Hannah felt as if the ground beneath her feet was moving, and as if the sky was cracking open. Her vision became blurry, then she refocused on Embry. Now everything made sense. Now the final puzzle piece had been put in place. The mystery of Embry had been solved.

Embry stared back at Hannah and found himself feeling sick. His stomach tightened. Hannah had figured it out. Now she was in his world and would never be able to get out. Would she run from him? Call him a monster and be frightened? Would she leave him forever?

As the rain continued to pour, Hannah brought her placed her hands on the sides of Embry's face. Her soft, freezing cold touch sent electricity down Embry's body. He closed his eyes and took in the moment. He was frozen. She had decoded him.

"I love you, Embry Call," she whispered.

Embry opened his eyes and very slowly and very gently placed his lips on hers.

_I think I know._

_I think I know._

_There is something, I see in you_

_It might kill me; I want it to be true._


End file.
